On January 8, 2026, Cyvers alerted to a suspicious on‑chain transfer tied to Truebit Protocol, citing an estimated exposure of about $26 million. The flagged movement involved 8,535 ETH and carried the on‑chain label "Truebit Protocol: Purchase." Truebit's team has not issued an official statement or confirmed any loss at the time of writing.

Singapore is undergoing a deliberate strategic reset, tightening crypto regulation while its luxury sector is forecast to expand 7‑9% in 2025 to S$13.9 billion. The city-state has doubled assets under management to USD 4 trillion since 2019, is reducing new foreign millionaire admissions and raising property taxes, while resident millionaires now drive most prime real estate transactions.

On January 5, 2026, a phishing campaign impersonating MetaMask support pushed a fake two‑factor authentication process to harvest recovery phrases. SlowMist's CSO described the operation as highly polished, with look‑alike domains and branded emails. Although 2025's phishing losses fell from nearly $494 million to about $84 million, attackers are reappearing with refined tactics.

On 2 January 2026, Ilya Lichtenstein, who admitted to stealing nearly 120,000 Bitcoin from Bitfinex in 2016, was released early from a U.S. federal prison under the First Step Act. He had received a five-year sentence in November 2024 but served roughly one year, reigniting arguments over how the American justice system handles large-scale crypto crimes. His release, along with clemency for figures like Ross Ulbricht and Changpeng Zhao, has sharpened divisions between critics and supporters of sentencing reform.

Turkmenistan will legalise cryptocurrency mining and trading platforms starting 1 January 2026 under a strict licensing regime overseen by the Central Bank. The reform, signed by President Serdar Berdimuhamedow, aims to monetise excess gas-fired power capacity and diversify an economy heavily reliant on natural gas exports. While mining and exchanges gain legal status, using cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services remains prohibited, and questions persist over how extensive internet censorship will align with large-scale blockchain operations.

On 1 January 2026, China's digital yuan began accruing interest at sight deposit rates, marking a break with the non‑interest CBDC model. The People's Bank of China's plan applies to verified wallets for individuals and firms, with payouts on the 20th day of the last month of each quarter. Anonymous category 4 wallets are excluded, signaling a shift from M0‑like "digital cash" toward M1‑style demand deposits.

According to an investigation by TRM Labs, a coordinated group of Russian cybercriminals allegedly laundered more than $35 million in cryptocurrency stolen from LastPass users after the 2022 breach. The funds were moved through instant exchanges, Bitcoin mixers and Russian platforms including Audi6 and the OFAC-sanctioned Cryptex, with investigators using behavioral continuity analysis to trace the flow. The report indicates that wallet activity tied to the mixers showed operational links to Russia before and after the laundering process.

A report published on 27 December alleges wallets linked to Andrew Tate received about $1.2 million from addresses named in a Texas lawsuit tied to a $5 million investment scam. Court documents filed in March 2025 describe laundering between January 2023 and February 2025, while related wallets reportedly moved up to $30M into the privacy protocol Railgun over the past two years.

On December 25, Chinese silver prices hit record levels, with Shanghai quoted at $80/oz and up over +150% YTD, while Bitcoin moved sideways on low holiday liquidity. The split highlights a macro shift as investors prioritize physical scarcity and industrial demand over digital scarcity during supply stress.